Counter IED Technology Sector Report 2010

Operational experience of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan and Iraq has demonstrated the need for a new approach to countering the threat, according to NATO and EU government and industry officials. That approach is from the air. This would require a strong common operational picture in real time between coalition ground-based and flying assets for surveillance and detection purposes, in order to kill an array of targets far beyond the physical devices themselves. This and other related technology goals, such as development of new IED disrupters and creation of an inventory of incident data for post-mission training and analysis in Europe, are being investigated by NATO, EU and national authorities to confront the ever-changing nature and use of IEDs.